POLICY & POLITICS
North SJ Valley:
Latest on Modesto City Schools reopening. Deaths at 299
Modesto Bee
Stanislaus County announced four more deaths to the virus Wednesday but also had its lowest daily infection rate since June. A total of 299 residents have died since the first was announced April 10, the Health Services Agency said. Details on the latest four were not available.
Hear the candidates: Modesto City Council District 3 candidates discuss the issues
Modesto Bee
The three candidates running for Modesto City Council District 3, Jim Applegate, Janice Keating and Chris Ricci, talked about the issues in a debate on Thursday. The three, vying to replace the outgoing Kristi Ah You, discussed such topics as the city’s approach to enforce COVID-19 rules, the suggested creation of an independent civilian review board for the Modesto Police Department and the College Avenue road diet.
What’s coming to new construction projects underway in Modesto? New restaurants, more
Modesto Bee
When it comes to the best laid plans in 2020, well, they’re all basically shot. Still, despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and everything else this year has thrown at us, work continues on planned retail projects across the city.
High-speed rail junction near Chowchilla, connecting to Gilroy, approved. What’s next?
Fresno Bee
A high-speed rail junction near Chowchilla to connect Gilroy and San Jose with the Central Valley was approved Thursday by a state board – more than eight years after approval of the rest of the proposed route between Fresno and Merced.
See also:
● Final section of Merced to Bakersfield high-speed rail line approved Global Railway Review
Central SJ Valley:
Watch crews work into smoke-filled night as Creek Fire grows to 167,000 acres
Fresno Bee
The Creek Fire in Fresno County, Calif, had grown to almost 167,000 acres by evening of September 9, 2020, and was zero % contained, Cal Fire said. At least 365 structures in Fresno County were damaged or destroyed with more threatened.
See also:
● Creek Fire live updates: Blue Canyon key to protecting Shaver Lake; China Peak explosion Fresno Bee
● Creek Fire contained slightly for the first time at 6% on 175,893 acres Fresno Bee
● Creek Fire evacuees face long wait to return home; resources taxed as other fires burn Fresno Bee
● How to help Creek Fire victims in Fresno and Madera counties Fresno Bee
● Though Creek Fire continues to burn, now at 166,965 acres, can residents return home? Fresno Bee
● Creek Fire live updates: Clovis Rodeo full with animals; Weather favors firefighters; Oakhurst on watch Fresno Bee
● Cressman’s owner to rebuild historic store near Shaver Lake. He saw Creek Fire destroy it Fresno Bee
● Permanent markers and borrowed trailers: How hundreds of horses, cows escaped Creek Fire Fresno Bee
● Creek Fire: 175,000 Acres Burned, 365 Structures Destroyed Clovis RoundUp
● Creek Fire: It may be weeks before residents are allowed to check on homes Visalia Times Delta
● Community Residents Rally Together To Help Evacuate Families And Their Livestock VPR
● Doffing His Religious Robe For A Uniform, This Christian Brother Helps Crews Battle The Creek Fire VPR
● ‘The fire-breathing dragon of clouds’: Formation over Creek Fire thought to be biggest in US history SF Chronicle
● Warszawski: Surveying the Creek Fire’s destruction — and how I rescued a parrot from China Peak Fresno Bee
● Fire breaks out on exterior of Chukchansi casino near Creek Fire. Crews quickly put it out Fresno Bee
‘Extremely active’ North Complex Fire pushes death toll to 10; officials say 16 still missing
Visalia Times Delta
The North Complex Fire’s death toll rose to 10 as authorities reported seven more deaths on Thursday. Sixteen people also remain unaccounted for in Butte County, Capt. Derek Bell of the Butte County Sheriff’s Office said in a Thursday evening press conference.
Sequoia Complex: Firefighters work to protect resources; fires close to 68,000 acres
Porterville Recorder
The Sequoia Complex consisting of the Castle Fire and the Shotgun Fire has now burned 67,529 acres as of Thursday morning. As of Thursday morning the fires were 12 % contained. Fire officials also stated they were pleased with the activity as far as protecting Freeman Grove.
Fresno’s CRMC hospital will restore top-level trauma services, authorities report
Fresno Bee
Fresno’s Community Regional Medical Center will not lose its elite designation as a Level I Trauma Center, the Fresno Emergency Medical Services Agency said late Thursday. The critical status had jeopardized this week after health department officials said the hospital had until 5 p.m. Friday to restore top-level neurosurgical on-call services.
See also:
● Tensions high between Fresno hospital, medical group hours before trauma status deadline Fresno Bee
City Council Receives Briefing on COVID-19
Clovis RoundUp
The city council was updated on the city’s COVID-19 numbers and data by City Manager Luke Serpa on Tuesday, Sept 8. Serpa said that there was a spike in infections in the city in the second week of August and Clovis is now the second city with most COVID-19 cases in the county, behind Fresno.
See also:
● Fresno County COVID-19 cases slowing, but authorities expect potential Labor Day spike Fresno Bee
● COVID-19 update: Active cases continue to go down Porterville Recorder
Fresno EOC Receives Funding for Advanced Peace Fresno
Fresno EOC
After years of community calls for investments in new, bold, and proven models to combat gun violence in Fresno. Today, we celebrate the approval of state funding to help officially launch the Advance Peace Fresno program. With a budget of over $900,000, over three years, the Calif Violence Intervention and Prevention (CalVIP) grant will be matched by local (City of Fresno) and private philanthropic sources to provide the funding needed to carry out Advance Peace Fresno.
Robert Costa (PBS Wash Week) Returns to Discuss 2020 Election in Virtual President’s Lecture Series (Free)
Fresno State
Costa will be the featured speaker for a first-ever virtual version of the President’s Lecture Series at Fresno State, less than a month before the 2020 presidential election. The President’s Lecture with Costa is scheduled from 6 to 7:15 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 8. It’s free to participate, by visiting Zoom at the time of the event.
South SJ Valley:
Kern County CAO demands change after state inflates local COVID-19 rate
Bakersfield Californian
Kern County Chief Administrative Officer Ryan Alsop lashed out at a new state policy that artificially inflates a county’s COVID-19 case rate if the average number of tests given out over a seven-day period falls below the state’s threshold.
See also:
● Kern public health announces 10 new COVID-19 deaths, 69 new cases on Thursday Bakersfield Californian
ICE expands into former McFarland prisons, drastically increasing capabilities
Bakersfield Californian
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has begun moving detainees into one of two former state detention centers in McFarland, capping a long legal battle to expand its capabilities in Kern County.
Lamont gets its first new affordable housing complex in a decade, and ‘a glimmer of hope’
Bakersfield Californian
Thursday marked the grand opening of Mountain View Village, the first affordable housing complex in Lamont in the last decade, officials said. Within two weeks, tenants will begin moving into the 40-unit apartment complex at 11316 Main St. in Lamont, and it couldn’t come soon enough, residents say.
Bakersfield City Council rejects proposal to house medically vulnerable homeless at Rosedale Inn
Bakersfield Californian
The Bakersfield City Council unanimously rejected a permit approval during a meeting on Wednesday that would have allowed medically vulnerable homeless individuals to be housed at the Rosedale Inn over the next five months as part of Kern Project Roomkey.
State:
Calif wildfires growing bigger, moving faster than ever
Associated Press
When it comes to Calif wildfires, it now takes days, not decades, to produce what had been seen as a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence
See also:
● Wildfires have burned record acreage in Calif. Here’s where the biggest fires are Fresno Bee
● Interactive map: See where wildfires are burning across Calif Modesto Bee
Calif Supreme Court rejects lawsuits seeking to reopen schools during pandemic
LA Times
The Calif Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to overturn Gov. Gavin Newsom’s directives limiting in-classroom instruction to slow the spread of COVID-19. During a private conference, the state’s highest court rejected without comment lawsuits brought by the Orange County Board of Education and others to reopen schools statewide.
Democratic squabbling doomed Calif’s “Year of housing production”. What will happen in 2021?
CalMatters
Despite entering 2020 with the governor and many legislators pushing for an increase in housing production, none of the bills put forth went into effect. The coronavirus pandemic has also put prospects for such bills in 2021 in doubt.
As Newsom weighs reparations bill, a scholar has a word of caution for Calif
CalMatters
A bill on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk would authorize a reparations study for Black Californians. But a prominent scholar says he hopes Calif’s effort won’t detract from the national conversation on redressing slavery.
See also:
● Opinion: In a carnival-like spree, Calif lawmakers just played right into Trump’s hands Wash Post
Commentary: An Unexpected Last Minute Legislative Boost for Small Business
Fox & Hounds
Talk to business leaders who dealt with the legislature over the past few months and they often expressed frustration that the legislature, while understandably focusing on employee concerns, were giving businesses short shrift. But at the last minute, a gut-and-amend bill did move ahead to give small businesses a boost to help them rebound from the disastrous business collapse.
Skelton: Forget a special legislative session. Calif lawmakers first need to get their act together
LA Times
This was the ideal time — politically and policy-wise — for the Legislature and the governor to authorize loads of extra spending on wildfire prevention and helping victims. But they botched it. Shame on them.
Gil Duran: Calif Assembly’s treatment of Buffy Wicks exposes Anthony Rendon’s dysfunction
Sac Bee
My last column clearly got under the skin of Calif State Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon. At 9:21 p.m. on Saturday night, hours after it published, the powerful legislator responded on Twitter.
Thousands of 17-year-olds could vote in Calif primaries if initiative passes, study says
Sac Bee
A Calif ballot initiative could send tens of thousands of young voters to the polls during primary elections, according to a report from the Public Policy Institute of Calif released Thursday.
See also:
● How Different Would Calif’s Elections Be If 17-Year-Olds Could Vote? PPIC
CalMatters
Calif’s 2019 crime rate fell to the lowest level in recorded history after dropping 3% from the year before, according to a report released Wednesday from the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice. Overall, state crime rates dropped 12% from 2010 to 2019, with violent crimes decreasing by 5% and property crimes by 13%. (These numbers don’t take rape into account due to a 2014 definition change.)
Federal:
The Hill
Allan Lichtman, the historian known for accurately predicting presidential elections, said that President Trump’s downplaying of the coronavirus pandemic will be remembered as “the greatest dereliction of duty” in presidential history.
See also:
● Trump Says His Misleading Coronavirus Comments Were Meant To Show ‘Strength’ VPR
● Woodward’s ‘Rage’ is a damning account of Trump’s cowering sycophants and enablers Wash Post
● What did Trump know and when did he know it? Inside his Feb. 7 admission Politico
● ‘I saved his a–‘: Trump boasted that he protected Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman after Jamal Khashoggi’s brutal murder, Woodward’s new book says Business Insider
Fauci warns US needs to ‘hunker down’ for fall, winter: ‘It’s not going to be easy’
The Hill
Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious diseases expert, warned Thursday that the U.S. should prepare for a difficult few months in the fight against COVID-19 as flu season approaches.
Could political pressure rush COVID-19 vaccine? Here’s what Americans say in poll
Fresno Bee
As drug companies work to develop coronavirus vaccines, most Americans worry politics could rush the process, a new poll finds. Sixty-two % of people think political pressure from the White House will make the U.S. government approve a vaccine without ensuring it’s safe and protects against the virus, according to findings released Thursday from the Kaiser Family Foundation
‘America Will Always Rise Up’: Trump, Biden Commemorate Sept. 11 Attacks
VPR
Friday marks the 19th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks against the United States — the single deadliest instance of a terrorist attack in world history and among the most consequential global policy markers in modern times.
Do jobless benefits keep people from work? Experts debate as ‘skinny’ stimulus fails
Fresno Bee
Do enhanced unemployment benefits during the coronavirus pandemic encourage Americans to hold off on going back to work? That’s the question being considered among members of Congress and experts as a proposed stimulus bill failed in the U.S. Senate Thursday.
See also:
● New stimulus checks, enhanced unemployment unlikely as Congress fractures over coronavirus relief LA Times
● ‘Skinny’ coronavirus relief bill blocked in Senate Roll Call
● GOP ‘Skinny’ Bill on Coronavirus Aid Is Blocked by Democrats in Senate WSJ
George Will: The fourth branch of government is on its way to evicting Congress
Wash Post
Wash’s NFL team, until recently known as the Redskins, is seeking a less insensitive name, one appropriate for the nation’s capital. The name should be: the Continuing Resolutions.
Commentary: Reviving the Congress
AEI
The dysfunction of the Congress is the core problem confronting the American system of government today. The first branch is first for a reason, and when it fails to do its essential work, nothing else works either.
Despite judge’s order, plans being made for census layoffs
Bakersfield Californian
Even though a federal judge ordered the U.S. Census Bureau to halt winding down the 2020 census for the time being, supervisors in at least one Calif office have been instructed to make plans for laying off census takers, according to an email obtained by the AP.
See also:
· ‘It’s going horribly’: College towns fret about census count AP News
Coronavirus Trackers:
Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Calif
COVID-19 is a new illness that can affect your lungs and airways. It’s caused by a virus called coronavirus.
See also:
● Calif Department of Public Health
● Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) Pandemic – WHO
● John Hopkins University & Medicine John Hopkins University
● Tracking coronavirus in Calif LA Times
● Coronavirus Tracker SF Chronicle
● Coronavirus in the U.S.: Latest Map and Case Count NY Times
● How many coronavirus cases have been reported in each U.S. state? Politico
● Coronavirus Daily NPR
● Coronavirus tracked: the latest figures as the pandemic spreads Fin Times
● Coronavirus in Calif by the numbers CalMatters
LA Times is teaming up with other Calif newsrooms to track COVID-19
LA Times
To better report on the spread of COVID-19, The Times is partnering with news outlets across Calif in a combined data-gathering effort. Since March, The Times has conducted an independent survey of the latest data compiled by the state’s 61 local health agencies. That survey, run continually throughout the day, has supplied the underlying data for this site’s coronavirus tracker, as well as dozens of stories covering the crisis.
Elections 2020:
Worried about fires? Calif ballot initiative could help you move to a new city
Fresno Bee
As the state battles another disastrous wildfire season, survivors are urging Californians to vote yes on a November ballot initiative that they say will help seniors and people with disabilities move away from fire-prone communities while raising money for disaster prevention.
Climate change largely missing from campaign as fires rage
Bakersfield Californian
Historic fires are raging across the western United States ahead of what scientists say is the typical peak of wildfire season. Hurricane Laura devastated parts of the Gulf Coast last month, while swaths of Iowa are recovering from a derecho that brought hurricane force winds to the Midwest.
See also:
● The West Is on Fire. Trump Hasn’t Bothered Mentioning It LA Magazine
● Democrats link race, jobs, climate in election-year resolution Roll Call
● Corporate broadcast TV news fails to make crucial connection between record-breaking Calif wildfires and climate crisis Media Matters for America
● Wildfires Hasten Another Climate Crisis: Homeowners Who Can’t Get Insurance NY Times
Can You Handle The Truth?: Voting Misinformation, Why You Can’t Vote Twice
Capital Public Radio
Every Wednesday afternoon CapRadio’s PolitiFact Calif reporter Chris Nichols joins host Steve Milne for “Can You Handle The Truth?” a weekly conversation about his latest fact checks and reporting on misinformation.
How Greater Vote-by-Mail Influences Calif Voter Turnout
PPIC
The novel coronavirus pandemic threatens the traditional model of voting, a model in which most voters expect to show up at a polling place on Election Day to cast a ballot. While in-person voters may be pressed into close quarters with others, the risk is even higher for poll workers, who encounter hundreds of voters in the course of a typical Election Day. This year, jurisdictions may contemplate radically limiting the number of in-person locations.
Republican worries rise as Trump campaign pulls back from television advertising
Wash Post
Fearing a coming cash crunch, President Trump’s campaign has pulled back from television advertising over the last month, ceding to Democratic nominee Joe Biden a huge advantage in key states and sparking disagreements over strategy within the president’s senior team.
Biden will pull TV ads on 9/11 anniversary
Politico
Joe Biden’s campaign will pull down its television advertising on Friday, going dark on the airwaves on the 19th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. A Biden aide confirmed that the campaign will not air television ads on Friday, in response to an inquiry from POLITICO early Thursday afternoon. President Donald Trump’s campaign did not respond to a similar inquiry sent at the same time.
Prepare for the weirdest election ‘night’ ever
PolitiFact
As you go to cast your ballot (early in-person, by mail, on Election Day), if you’re like me, you mainly want to know how and when your vote will get counted, and … who won! Experts are saying that this is an election night that’s not going to really be one night. It’s going to drag into the morning, perhaps into the days and weeks following Nov. 3.
Endorsement: Joe Biden isn’t just ‘anybody but Trump.’ He’s the right fit for our polarized time
LA Times
This year’s presidential election confronts voters with the most consequential choice they have faced in decades, and for many, their lifetimes: between a divisive, authoritarian-leaning incumbent and a seasoned patriot who brings not only five decades of experience, ability and commitment to American values, but also bold ideas at a time of national crisis. Nothing less than the health of our constitutional democracy is at stake.
Opinion: LA Times used to endorse only Republicans for president. What changed?
LA Times
For 90 years — from its founding in 1881 until Richard M. Nixon’s reelection in 1972 — the LA Times was unwavering in backing Republican nominees for president. Since it resumed endorsements in 2008, it has backed Democratic nominees: Barack Obama (twice), Hillary Clinton and now Joe Biden.
Commentary: What Biden-omics ignores
AEI
President Trump doesn’t have much of a second-term economic agenda. So far it’s really just a two-page grab-bag of voter-friendly goals such as “create 10 million jobs in 10 months” or “cut prescription drug prices.” The blueprint for achieving those goals is, in essence, “re-elect Trump.” For many Republicans, apparently, that’s plenty good enough.
Other:
Commentary: Lessons from the pandemic for broadband and internet policy
AEI
In January, before the US had its first confirmed case of COVID-19, we wrote two blog posts looking at key tech policy issues for 2020. We discussed the end of the “decades-long halo effect in which Silicon Valley could do no wrong” as debates over privacy, antitrust, and online speech had mounted in 2019, and expressed hope that successful light-touch regulatory approaches for telecommunications and tech would continue.
Commentary: Broadband in red and blue states: Three solutions to low-income internet access
Brookings
“At night, after hours, in good weather, and even when the weather is not so good, people gather around the library to try and get on Wi-Fi leaking through the doors,” Linda Johnson, president of the Brooklyn Public Library told me a few days ago.
MADDY INSTITUTE PUBLIC POLICY PROGRAMMING
Sunday, September 13, at 10 a.m. on ABC30 – Maddy Report: preempted
Sunday, September 13, at 10 a.m. on Newstalk 580AM/105.9FM (KMJ) – Maddy Report – Valley Views Edition: “Poverty and the Economic Situation of Calif Latinos?” – Guests: Sarah Bohn, Public Policy Institute of Calif and Mindy Romero, Director of USC Price School of Public School. Host: Maddy Institute Executive Director, Mark Keppler.
AGRICULTURE/FOOD
Air district asks ag, construction businesses to hold off dusty operations
Bakersfield Californian
Until the wind settles down or the smoke clears up, local air-quality officials are asking local agricultural and construction companies to pitch in for better air quality by minimizing operations that can kick up dust.
Turlock considers allowing industrial hemp businesses. What would rules permit?
Modesto Bee
Turlock officials Tuesday took a step toward allowing industrial hemp businesses to extract cannabis chemicals from the crop and manufacture products such as infused oils within city limits. The City Council passed the first reading of an ordinance regulating hemp and may approve it at the next meeting on Sept. 22, creating requirements for business licenses and conditional use permits.
Food box deliveries to needy Calif seniors cut off because of USDA cheese rule
LA Times
Tens of thousands of low-income Calif seniors stopped receiving home deliveries of free food just as COVID-19 cases and deaths in the state were peaking, thanks to a century-old federal policy to include surplus cheese in government aid packages.
New study: Cattle grazing significantly reduces wildfire spread
Capital Press
University of Calif Cooperative Extension researchers just completed a timely study showing cattle grazing is an essential tool in reducing wildfire — a tool they say should be expanded and refined. Recent record-shattering wildfires across Calif, Oregon and Wash have demonstrated the need for better fire control.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE/FIRE/PUBLIC SAFETY
Crime:
CalMatters
Calif’s 2019 crime rate fell to the lowest level in recorded history after dropping 3% from the year before, according to a report released Wednesday from the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice. Overall, state crime rates dropped 12% from 2010 to 2019, with violent crimes decreasing by 5% and property crimes by 13%. (These numbers don’t take rape into account due to a 2014 definition change.)
Public Safety:
Fresno County DA at odds with state over citing restaurants during pandemic
Fresno Bee
The Fresno County District Attorney’s Office has declined to file criminal charges against four Fresno County restaurants who were accused by the state of failing to comply with Calif’s mandated regulations during the COVID-19 pandemic.
See also:
● Fresno County DA Decline to File Charges Against Cited Restaurants Clovis RoundUp
Walters: Legislature fails on police reform promises
CALmatters
When the Calif Legislature folded up its tent 10 days ago, it left an extraordinary number of high-profile bills still awaiting final votes, and the finger-pointing has been underway ever since.
Fire:
Wildfires have burned record acreage in Calif. Here’s where the biggest fires are
Fresno Bee
While the worst of Calif’s offshore winds may have passed, the danger is still very real for many residents and homes Thursday in Northern Calif. A day before, wildfires raged unchecked in Calif and other western states as gusty winds drove flames into new ferocity.
See also:
● Six of the 20 largest fires in state history CalMatters
● Interactive map: See where wildfires are burning across Calif Modesto Bee
● Lightning-sparked August Complex is the biggest fire in recorded Calif history Sac Bee
● Wind-fueled fire surge in Northern Calif hurts containment as state crosses 3 million acres burned SF Chronicle
● Fact Check: Antifa activists did not start the West Coast wildfires PolitiFact
● False Rumors That Activists Set Wildfires Exasperate Officials NY Times
A Climate Reckoning in Fire-Stricken Calif
NY Times
Multiple mega fires burning more than three million acres. Millions of residents smothered in toxic air. Rolling blackouts and triple-digit heat waves. Climate change, in the words of one scientist, is smacking Calif in the face.
See also:
● Why Firefighting Alone Won’t Stop Western Mega-Fires VPR
● States Are in Desperate Search for Help Battling Record Wildfires NY Times
● These Changes Are Needed Amid Worsening Wildfires, Experts Say NY Times
Watch crews work into smoke-filled night as Creek Fire grows to 167,000 acres
Fresno Bee
The Creek Fire in Fresno County, Calif, had grown to almost 167,000 acres by evening of September 9, 2020, and was zero % contained, Cal Fire said. At least 365 structures in Fresno County were damaged or destroyed with more threatened.
See also:
● Creek Fire live updates: Blue Canyon key to protecting Shaver Lake; China Peak explosion Fresno Bee
● Creek Fire contained slightly for the first time at 6% on 175,893 acres Fresno Bee
● Creek Fire evacuees face long wait to return home; resources taxed as other fires burn Fresno Bee
● How to help Creek Fire victims in Fresno and Madera counties Fresno Bee
● Though Creek Fire continues to burn, now at 166,965 acres, can residents return home? Fresno Bee
● Creek Fire live updates: Clovis Rodeo full with animals; Weather favors firefighters; Oakhurst on watch Fresno Bee
● Cressman’s owner to rebuild historic store near Shaver Lake. He saw Creek Fire destroy it Fresno Bee
● Permanent markers and borrowed trailers: How hundreds of horses, cows escaped Creek Fire Fresno Bee
● Creek Fire: 175,000 Acres Burned, 365 Structures Destroyed Clovis RoundUp
● Creek Fire: It may be weeks before residents are allowed to check on homes Visalia Times Delta
● Community Residents Rally Together To Help Evacuate Families And Their Livestock VPR
● Doffing His Religious Robe For A Uniform, This Christian Brother Helps Crews Battle The Creek Fire VPR
● ‘The fire-breathing dragon of clouds’: Formation over Creek Fire thought to be biggest in US history SF Chronicle
● Warszawski: Surveying the Creek Fire’s destruction — and how I rescued a parrot from China Peak Fresno Bee
● Fire breaks out on exterior of Chukchansi casino near Creek Fire. Crews quickly put it out Fresno Bee
‘Extremely active’ North Complex Fire pushes death toll to 10; officials say 16 still missing
Visalia Times Delta
The North Complex Fire’s death toll rose to 10 as authorities reported seven more deaths on Thursday. Sixteen people also remain unaccounted for in Butte County, Capt. Derek Bell of the Butte County Sheriff’s Office said in a Thursday evening press conference.
Sequoia Complex: Firefighters work to protect resources; fires close to 68,000 acres
Porterville Recorder
The Sequoia Complex consisting of the Castle Fire and the Shotgun Fire has now burned 67,529 acres as of Thursday morning. As of Thursday morning the fires were 12 % contained. Fire officials also stated they were pleased with the activity as far as protecting Freeman Grove.
10 things you can do to prepare your family for a wildfire in Calif
Sac Bee
Sign up for your community’s warning system. The Emergency Alert System (EAS) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Weather Radio also provide emergency alerts. Cal Fire’s emergency app is at www.readyforwildfire.org/Ready-for-Wildfire-App
ECONOMY/JOBS
Economy:
WSJ Survey: Overall Economy Is Recovering Faster Than Economists Expected
WSJ
The U.S. economy and labor market are recovering from the coronavirus-related downturn more quickly than previously expected, economists said in a monthly survey. Business and academic economists polled by The WSJ expect gross domestic product to increase at an annualized rate of 23.9% in the third quarter. That is up sharply from an expectation of an 18.3% growth rate in the previous survey.
AEI
First, the GSEs start with the same erroneous argument embraced by so called affordable housing advocates and other members of the housing lobby: “boost[ing] their capital would increase mortgage borrowing costs [by about 0.20 %age points] for the millions of Americans who rely on the companies to buy homes.”
Commentary: HUD’s September 4, 2020 rule on disparate impact is an historic and positive change
AEI
HUD’s September 4, 2020 rule on disparate impact is an historic and positive change. It recognizes a principle first enunciated in 1955 by Gary Becker, a Nobel prize-winning economist, which he reiterated in 1993. In his 1955 book The Economics of Discrimination, he sets out principles for determining whether there is actual discrimination against minorities in labor, housing, or consumer markets.
Jobs:
U.S. layoffs remain high as 884,000 seek jobless aid
LA Times
The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits was unchanged last week at 884,000, a sign that layoffs are stuck at a historically high level six months after the COVID-19 pandemic flattened the economy. The latest figure released by the Labor Department on Thursday still far exceeds the number who sought benefits in any week on record before this year.
See also:
● Calif continues to report high share of jobless as 884,000 file in U.S. for unemployment SF Chronicle
● Unemployment Data Update: March through September 10, 2020 Calif Center for Jobs & the Economy
Money for $300 unemployment boost to run out after 6 weeks
Bakersfield Californian
The temporary $300-a-week unemployment insurance boost implemented by President Donald Trump is about to end, with no extension in sight. The Federal Emergency Management Agency said Thursday in an email to The Associated Press that it has distributed $30 billion of the $44 billion it had set aside for the benefit.
Why Calif caregivers finally could get unemployment after deaths of children, spouses
Sac Bee
Some 120,000 Calif caregivers tending for their spouse or children could be eligible to receive the state’s unemployment insurance when their dependents die, under a bill on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk.
See also:
● Calif: Fraud likely driving suspicious spike in unemployment claims Politico
● Commentary: State unemployment benefit spending has hit record highs, too AEI
For Filipino migrant workers, coronavirus dashes their ticket to a better life
Wash Post
When the novel coronavirus upended lives and livelihoods around the world, it hit the poor especially hard. But the pandemic’s effects also proved damaging for those vying for a foothold in the middle class, knocking them back down the economic ladder.
Commentary: How clean energy jobs can power an equitable COVID-19 recovery
Brookings
This July, Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden released his $2 trillion climate plan, touching on many interconnected themes, from clean energy to resilient infrastructure to environmental justice. But the plan’s emphasis on jobs was most apparent. “When I think about climate change, the word I think of is ‘jobs,’” Biden said in his announcement.
EDUCATION
K-12:
5 Tulare Co schools receive waiver to resume in-person instruction for some
abc30
Several South Valley schools have received reopening waivers from the Tulare County Public Health Department. Parents made the request a little more than one week ago. On Thursday, the health department said George McCann Elementary and St. Paul’s Elementary School in Visalia, St. Aloysius Catholic School in Tulare, Dinuba Junior Academy, and Porterville’s St. Anne’s School could resume in-person instruction for Transitional Kindergarten (T-K) through second-grade students.
Calif Supreme Court rejects lawsuits seeking to reopen schools during pandemic
LA Times
The Calif Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to overturn Gov. Gavin Newsom’s directives limiting in-classroom instruction to slow the spread of COVID-19. During a private conference, the state’s highest court rejected without comment lawsuits brought by the Orange County Board of Education and others to reopen schools statewide.
Commentary: Remote learning that works
AEI
By nearly all measures, remote learning fell short for a majority of students in the spring of 2020. With most schools opting to forego in-person teaching this fall, educators desperately need an effective virtual learning model to guide their teaching efforts.
Commentary: The sad realities of virtual learning
AEI
Last week, the LA Times reported that kindergarten enrollment in LA Unified, the nation’s second largest school system, is down by 6,000 students—or 14 %—since last fall. Between the attrition and spotty online attendance, some virtual kindergarten classrooms appear to be only half full.
Higher Ed:
Calif State University campuses will largely hold virtual classes for spring 2021
Fresno Bee
All 23 campuses in the Calif State University system will primarily deliver courses virtually in the spring semester, according to an announcement from university officials. “This decision is the only responsible one available to us at this time,” said CSU Chancellor Timothy White.
See also:
● Fresno State students won’t return to campus in spring 2021 because of coronavirus Fresno Bee
● CSU schools, including Fresno State, to continue virtual teaching during spring semester abc30
● CSU chancellor announces spring semester will be virtual, too Bakersfield Californian
● Cal State universities will stay online all year amid COVID-19 pandemic LA Times
● CSU Chancellor announces 23 campuses to remain virtual for spring term EdSource
College coronavirus testing varies by system, campus
CalMatters
With sometimes competing public health guidelines coming from the CDC and state and local sources, colleges and universities have made different decisions about how much coronavirus testing should be done, and when. Resources are a factor, according to experts.
BC awarded $1.3 million to address rural teacher shortage
Bakersfield Californian
The U.S. Department of Education has awarded Bakersfield College $1.3 million to support students preparing to be teachers as Calif continues facing a rising teacher shortage — a shortage that is especially dire in Kern County.
Wash Monthly
There has never been a crisis in American higher education like the one we are facing today. While fall enrollment numbers are still in flux as colleges scramble to deal with an out-of-control pandemic, there is no question that all but the wealthiest institutions are facing deep financial pain and potential catastrophe.
ENVIRONMENT/ENERGY
Environment:
A Climate Reckoning in Fire-Stricken Calif
New York Times
Multiple mega fires burning more than three million acres. Millions of residents smothered in toxic air. Rolling blackouts and triple-digit heat waves. Climate change, in the words of one scientist, is smacking Calif in the face.
Incredible satellite footage shows thick smoke engulfing Calif
Fresno Bee
Thick smoke from the wildfires raging in Calif was visible in satellite images produced on September 9, 10, 2020.
Fire, smoke, heat, drought — how climate change could spoil your next glass of Calif Cabernet
LA Times
A couple of years ago my wife and I visited the Bonny Doon Vineyard near Santa Cruz to sample the offerings of winemaking savant Randall Grahm. While we were there, Grahm told us something I haven’t been able to forget. It wasn’t nearly as foggy along Monterey Bay as it used to be, he said, and that was worrisome for winemakers.
In rare bipartisan climate agreement, senators forge plan to slash use of potent greenhouse gas
Wash Post
In a rare show of defiance of the Trump administration, key Senate Republicans joined Democrats on Thursday in agreeing to phase out chemicals widely used in air conditioners and refrigeration that are warming the planet.
Commentary: There’s no catch: Legislation would have provided more protections for fish
CalMatters
I learned to fish almost as soon as I could walk. Fishing has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. It was my first connection to the ocean. It’s how I learned to respect and appreciate our natural environment and all it provides. And looking back now, it’s what inspired me to study the ocean and devote my career to its conservation.
Energy:
County residents experience first public safety power shutoffs of 2020
Bakersfield Californian
After Kern County customers experienced their first public safety power shutoff of 2020 by Pacific Gas and Electric Company, the threat of future shutoffs is likely to remain throughout the remainder of wildfire season, according to Katie Allen, local marketing and communications manager for PG&E.
How Big Oil Misled The Public Into Believing Plastic Would Be Recycled
VPR
Laura Leebrick, a manager at Rogue Disposal & Recycling in southern Oregon, is standing on the end of its landfill watching an avalanche of plastic trash pour out of a semitrailer: containers, bags, packaging, strawberry containers, yogurt cups.
Guest Commentary: Calif’s oil, natural gas contribute enormously to economy
Hanford Sentinel
Correction, Senator Hurtado, [Re: Hurtado: Taxpayers should not foot the bill for cleaner air] taxpayers don’t pay to plug oil wells, but they do pay for public safety.
HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES
Health:
Kern public health announces 10 new COVID-19 deaths, 69 new cases on Thursday
Bakersfield Californian
The Kern County Public Health Services Department reported 10 new deaths and 69 new cases of coronavirus Thursday. Total confirmed cases in Kern now stands at 30,450. There have been 307 confirmed coronavirus-related deaths since the first COVID-19 case was announced in Kern on March 13.
See also:
● Fresno County COVID-19 cases slowing, but authorities expect potential Labor Day spike Fresno Bee
● COVID-19 update: Active cases continue to go down Porterville Recorder
● Coronavirus update, Sept. 11: County surpasses 300 deaths five months after first Modesto Bee
● Calif death toll tops 14,000, but new coronavirus cases continue to decline LA Times
COVID-19 silently arrived in US near Christmas — earlier than thought, UCLA study says
Fresno Bee
In December, all eyes were on China as it struggled to control the coronavirus, which was seemingly contained within its own borders, a crisis a world away. But a new study finds the deadly virus may have already reached the U.S. by then, and was actively spreading, weeks before the first COVID-19 case was confirmed on American soil.
Shortage of key material squeezes N95 medical mask manufacturing amid COVID-19 pandemic
abc30
Rachel Spray is still grieving the loss of her fellow nurse who died after being exposed to the novel coronavirus at Kaiser Permanente Fresno Medical Center in Calif. Now, as she stands in front of the gleaming glass and concrete hospital, she says she “dreads going in there”
COVID-19 is ‘life-threatening disease in people of all ages,’ researchers warn
KGET
While many have questioned COVID-19’s impact on young people, a new study of hospital patients shows the virus can create major health challenges for people of all ages. According to research from Harvard that tracked hospitalizations of people ages 18-34, roughly 3 % of the 3,200 patients followed died. One in 10 needed a ventilator and one in 5 required intensive care, according to the study.
FDA to review huge applications from vaping companies
Roll Call
Wednesday’s long-delayed deadline for e-cigarette companies to seek permission from the Food and Drug Administration to keep selling their products is launching a new era of uncertainty for the industry and a slog for regulators facing applications that can exceed 100,000 pages.
CDC report: Dining out increases risk of contracting coronavirus more than other activities
The Hill
Dining out is one of the riskiest possible activities during the coronavirus pandemic, according to a report issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Thursday, citing the fact that masks are not used while people are eating and drinking.
See also:
● Eating out is among riskiest activities during COVID-19 pandemic, CDC says Fresno Bee
Human Services:
Fresno’s CRMC hospital will restore top-level trauma services, authorities report
Fresno Bee
Fresno’s Community Regional Medical Center will not lose its elite designation as a Level I Trauma Center, the Fresno Emergency Medical Services Agency said late Thursday. The critical status had jeopardized this week after health department officials said the hospital had until 5 p.m. Friday to restore top-level neurosurgical on-call services.
Tensions high between Fresno hospital, medical group hours before trauma status deadline
Fresno Bee
As the deadline approaches for Community Regional Medical Center to restore neurosurgical trauma services or lose its elite trauma status, hospital officials have accused the other side of misleading the public about their dispute.
Blood plasma looked like a promising covid-19 treatment. Then Trump got involved.
Wash Post
A roster of celebrities including Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson endorsed it. A corporate coalition led by Microsoft rallied tens of thousands of recovered coronavirus patients to donate their blood plasma, rich in antibodies, to help treat others. Federal taxpayers bankrolled the initiative with at least $340 million.
What Telemedicine Needs to Succeed Beyond COVID-19
Rand Review
Peter Yellowlees was a young psychiatrist working in central Australia—“bang in the middle, about as isolated as you can get”—when he had his first experience with telemedicine. The equipment was balky, the video quality poor, but the woman he treated for depression from 300 miles away was so appreciative she said she wished he had taped it.
Opinion: The Federal Program That Keeps Insulin Prices High
WSJ
Perhaps the biggest flashpoint in the political debate about prescription drug prices is the cost of insulin. This summer an executive order from President Trump required low prices for some patients, and Eli Lilly last week announced new measures to make insulin more affordable for diabetics.
IMMIGRATION
Federal judges: Trump plan to exclude undocumented from congressional districts violates law
abc30
A panel of three federal judges on Thursday blocked an order from President Donald Trump that tried to exclude people in the country illegally from the process of redrawing congressional districts.
See also:
● Judges block Trump order to exclude those in the country illegally from 2020 census LA Times
● Court blocks Trump order to exclude undocumented immigrants from census count Wash Post
● 2020 Census Must Count Illegal Immigrants When Allocating House Seats, Judges Rule WSJ
ICE expands into former McFarland prisons, drastically increasing capabilities
Bakersfield Californian
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has begun moving detainees into one of two former state detention centers in McFarland, capping a long legal battle to expand its capabilities in Kern County.
Wash Post
The Trump administration flew immigrant detainees to Virginia this summer to facilitate the rapid deployment of Homeland Security tactical teams to quell protests in Wash, circumventing restrictions on the use of charter flights for employee travel, according to a current and a former U.S. official.
LAND USE/HOUSING
Land Use:
What’s coming to new construction projects underway in Modesto? New restaurants, more
Modesto Bee
When it comes to the best laid plans in 2020, well, they’re all basically shot. Still, despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and everything else this year has thrown at us, work continues on planned retail projects across the city.
Commentary: Legislators went home without taking action to protect state parks
CalMatters
Over the last few weeks, the world watched in horror as wildfires consumed more than 2 million acres across Calif. This pain and loss are all too familiar for Californians, especially recently. For many of us, the images of historic blazes sweeping through ancient redwood groves and engulfing beloved state parks was deeply personal.
Housing:
Nonprofit aims to develop low-cost housing for youth, others in need
Bakersfield Californian
A newly formed nonprofit working out of an office on Ming Avenue hopes to begin raising money for a series of housing developments in Bakersfield, Inyokern and Ridgecrest that would cater to seniors, veterans, foster youth and people looking to get off the streets.
Lamont gets its first new affordable housing complex in a decade, and ‘a glimmer of hope’
Bakersfield Californian
Thursday marked the grand opening of Mountain View Village, the first affordable housing complex in Lamont in the last decade, officials said. Within two weeks, tenants will begin moving into the 40-unit apartment complex at 11316 Main St. in Lamont, and it couldn’t come soon enough, residents say.
Fires across Calif could accelerate home insurance crisis in wildfire zones
Sac Bee
Tom Wheeler is a Madera County supervisor and loves to brag about the area’s many attributes — the lakes, the mountains, the proximity to Yosemite. It’s just not a great place to buy homeowners’ insurance.
Democratic squabbling doomed Calif’s “Year of housing production”. What will happen in 2021?
CalMatters
Despite entering 2020 with the governor and many legislators pushing for an increase in housing production, none of the bills put forth went into effect. The coronavirus pandemic has also put prospects for such bills in 2021 in doubt.
PUBLIC FINANCES
Exclusive: Pension cuts coming for some Calif retirees after state Supreme Court ruling
Fresno Bee
County-run pension systems up and down Calif are preparing to reduce some retirees’ income based on a recent state Supreme Court decision that disqualified certain kinds of pay from pension calculations.
IRS is trying to reach 9 million people who haven’t collected their stimulus payments
Wash Post
It doesn’t appear the Republicans’ “skinny” stimulus bill is going to be passed anytime soon. So, the IRS is appealing to the estimated 9 million people who still haven’t collected the first economic impact payment, which may be their one and only chance for coronavirus-related relief funds.
TRANSPORTATION
High-speed rail junction near Chowchilla, connecting to Gilroy, approved. What’s next?
Fresno Bee
A high-speed rail junction near Chowchilla to connect Gilroy and San Jose with the Central Valley was approved Thursday by a state board – more than eight years after approval of the rest of the proposed route between Fresno and Merced.
See also:
● Final section of Merced to Bakersfield high-speed rail line approved Global Railway Review
CHSRA—Avenue 10 overpass opens in Madera County
RT&S
On Tuesday, the Calif High-Speed Rail Authority (Authority) announced the opening of the Avenue 10 overpass in Madera County – the second high-speed rail grade separation to open in the last month.
Calif bill intended to aid transportation projects
Landline
The Calif Legislature has approved a bill to benefit transportation work intended to get people off of the state’s roadways. Sponsored by Sen. Scott Wiener, D-SF, the bill would speed up projects considered to be “sustainable.” Specifically, SB288 would exempt transit projects from stricter review under the Calif Environmental Quality Act.
WATER
Strained Rural Water Utilities Buckle Under Pandemic Pressure
PEW
The months leading up to the coronavirus pandemic already spelled trouble for the Rome Water System and the tiny community it serves in the Mississippi Delta. A tornado tossed around several homes, closed roads and left the community without power for two weeks. Lightning strikes on two separate occasions damaged pumps used to transport water and wastewater for about 75 connections serving about 220 people.
LOIS HENRY: Proposed $171 million Central Valley groundwater bank faces TCP contamination
Bakersfield Californian
A Kern County groundwater bank proposal just at the starting blocks has been hit with 1,2,3-TCP contamination. Irvine Ranch Water District and Rosedale-Rio Bravo Water Storage District had just begun the environmental review process for their joint banking project this past April when TCP reared its head.
“Xtra”
Valley Public Radio and Partners To Present Series Celebrating Beethoven’s 250th Birthday
VPR
Valley Public Radio, in partnership with the Fresno Philharmonic and the Philip Lorenz Memorial Keyboard Concert series will air a new special series celebrating the 250th anniversary of the birth of one of the greatest composers of all time. The program will feature archival performances drawn from both institution’s recorded concerts, and will be hosted by Valley Public Radio’s David Aus, with Fresno Philharmonic Music Director Rei Hotoda and special guests providing discussion and commentary.
As virus lurks in Kern, Halloween festivities are in question
Bakersfield Californian
Will trick-or-treating go the way of Fourth of July fireworks and Easter egg hunts this year? After first announcing a ban on the popular Halloween activity Tuesday, LA County public health officials revised their stance on Wednesday and strongly discouraged it due to the coronavirus.
Expect a ‘very different’ Halloween this year as Calif considers trick-or-treat changes
Modesto Bee
Calif kids should expect a “very different” Halloween this year as public health officials weigh trick-or-treating restrictions to limit spread of COVID-19, Calif’s top health and human services official said.
Test yourself with our new free game: PolitiTruth
Think you can tell the difference between True and False?
Do you really know what is fake news?
Support the Maddy Daily
Thank you!
Maddy Institute Updated List of San Joaquin Valley Elected Officials HERE.
The Kenneth L. Maddy Institute was established to honor the legacy of one of Calif’s most principled and effective legislative leaders of the last half of the 20th Century by engaging, preparing and inspiring a new generation of governmental leaders for the 21st Century. Its mission is to inspire citizen participation, elevate government performance, provide non-partisan analysis and assist in providing solutions for public policy issues important to the region, state and nation.
This document is to be used for informational purposes only. Unless specifically noted, The Maddy Institute does not officially endorse or support views that may be expressed in the document. If you want to print a story, please do so now before the link expires.
To Subscribe or Unsubscribe: amyboam@csufresno.edu